As a priest and associate director of the Office for Vocations, Father Daren Zehnle is naturally familiar with this quote from the Bible: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:39). Moreover, with a record number of seminarians under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois (the diocese presently has 20 seminarians); the Office for Vocations is not pausing in its efforts to help young men discern a priestly vocation, Father Zehnle says.
A new prayer card promoting vocations was recently distributed to priests of the diocese during the annual Clergy Convocation held in Springfield Sept. 19-22 — and additional cards were available for the priests to take back to their parishes. The prayer cards will be distributed in the parishes and schools as the pastors deem appropriate, says Father Zehnle, who is also priest secretary and master of ceremonies to Bishop Thomas John Paprocki.
The front of the card bears the image of the Servant of God Father Augustus Tolton, the first acknowledged black priest in the United States, who has strong ties to Quincy, and whose cause for beatification and canonization is under way. The back of the card is imprinted with A Prayer for More Priests through the example and intercession of Father Tolton.
The idea of the holy cards came to Father Zehnle on a pilgrimage to the various places associated with the life of Father Tolton in Brush Creek and Hannibal, Mo., and in Quincy. "Father Tolton was a man who suffered much, both when seeking a seminary and after his ordination to the priesthood, yet he never lost his faith in God or his zeal for the salvation of souls," he says.
"We need more men like Father Tolton to answer the Lord's call to priestly ministry; Father Tolton can help young men respond as he did, with a spirit of willing self-sacrifice and great love," Father Zehnle says.
The prayer cards will also be distributed to each of the confirmandi when Bishop Paprocki and Father Zehnle speak with them before each confirmation throughout the diocese. Additionally, the confirmandi will be given a prayer card with an individual Prayer for Discernment for their personal use. That way they might discover the manner of life that will lead them to find happiness, Father Zehnle says.
To request a holy card for personal use, write to Father Zehnle at the Office for Vocations, P.O. Box 3187, Springfield, IL 62708-3187. For more information about the life of Father Tolton, visit www.dio.org/tolton and for more information about his cause, visit www.toltoncanonization.org.